Fried Chicken Worth the Road Trip

Getting finger lickin’ good fried chicken has gotten much easier in New York as so many worthy competitors have popped up. Case in point: the excellent fried chicken plate ($11) at Pies ‘n’ Thighs in Williamsburg. I prayed on my first recent visit that it deserved all the praise it had been getting since opening this spring. Yup, it sure did. Homespun hospitality and a plate piled high with three juicy, perfectly crisp pieces of bird, the flakiest biscuit, and a rockin’ black eyed peas salad, left me completely satisfied.

 Commander Cody's, Shelter Island

But what happens when you go away for the weekend and the craving hits? If you’re headed to Shelter Island or North Fork, thankfully you’re covered. Shelter Island, the swanky, anti-Hamptons, is known for a handful of decent, overpriced eateries including Planet Bliss, Vine Street Café, and the notorious Sunset Beach. But wander off the beaten path and discover one hell of a dining experience at Commander Cody’s, where you’ll feast on some of the best fried chicken EVER. Chef Jimmy and his daughter Amanda lovingly prepare their famous chicken (expect to wait 20 minutes because it’s fried fresh to order), as well as their fall-off-the-bone BBQ ribs. They also serve a wide array of seafood, but we came for the chicken!

Get in my belly at Commander Cody's

The enormous skillet fried chicken platter ($14) comes with 4 generous pieces (1/2 chicken) - hot, perfectly seasoned, juicy and crispy - seasoned waffle fries, corn bread and creamy cole slaw. Sit on one of the outdoor picnic benches, groove to classic blues playing in the background, and count down the minutes til your plate arrives. Go hungry. Save room for homemade dessert.

If you don’t make the ferry to Shelter Island, and find yourself by Greenport, you’re also in luck. Salamander’s General Store, a quirky gourmet market on First Street, also serves fried chicken worth a detour. Wander the tiny shop packed with international goods, as you wait for your order to be fried up. Cole slaw and corn bread accompany the $8 plate, but the star is definitely the chicken.

Note: I am always in search of great fried chicken, near and far, so tips are always welcome.

10-Minute Greek Salad for One

There’s nothing like eating a Greek salad on a Greek island. Something about those sunkissed tomatoes and tangy sheep + goat's milk feta...But if you can’t get there this summer, my simple version comes in handy when you want a quick, fantastic meal for one in under 10 minutes. I always make sure I have Kalamata olives and a slab of Athenos chunk feta in the fridge (the chunk has more flavor than the crumbled), as well as a can of anchovies in olive oil. Then on your way home, you can grab your veggies at any market.

A note about anchovies. They're a classic Mediterannean staple. I don't undertand how they can be so reviled. Please trust me in this recipe. They’re all mashed up with the lemon and feta, so you just taste the salty essence, and no fishiness. You can make the salad without them, but I don’t advise it. If you're really hungry, you can add sautéed chicken breast, cut in chunks, and marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. This recipe serves one and can easily be doubled.

Place dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl:

juice of ½ lemon

1 T olive oil

1/2 t dried oregano

1/3” slice chunk of Athenos packaged feta

4 anchovies from jar or can packed in olive oil, adjust to taste

Mash feta and anchovy dressing with fork to make a slushy mix.

Chop remaining ingredients in uniform size and add to bowl:

1 juicy tomato, cut in ½” chunks

1 Kirby cucumber or ½ regular cuke, cut in ½” chunks

½ green pepper cut in ½” chunks

2 T chopped red onion

Toast ½ pita bread and break up pieces into 1” ‘croutons.’ Add to salad. Add handful of Kalamata olives. Add salt, if needed, and pepper to taste. Add sautéed chicken chunks, if desired. Incorporate all ingredients well, making sure croutons are covered in dressing. Enjoy.

Meet The Mango Lady

Mangoes are my favorite fruit. In the summer I try to eat one almost every day – and especially champagne mangoes, which are on practically every street corner in the East Village. With their kidney shape and creamy, foolproof sweet flesh, they are completely addictive – and packed with vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. The thought of adding anything to a mango for more flavor sounds silly. So the idea of smothering it in hot sauce, chili powder, lemon juice, and salt is just repulsive. But my friend Claire made me eat my words today as she introduced me to The Mango Lady at Union Square.

The unassuming stand, at the corner of University Place and 14th St, holds not much more than fresh mangoes in various stages of being peeled. Order a plastic container of cut mango and ask for the works – hot sauce, chili salt, and lemon (I like extra lemon) and you will discover one fine Mexico City specialty. It’s crazy good. Hot, sweet, soft, tangy, juiciness. All this fun for just $3. Tues-Sat, 10-4.

NYC Health Dept Grades Popular East Village Restaurants

This is not an appetizing post to read or write. But as an avid restaurant goer, I feel we all take accountability for what we eat. And knowledge is power, so here goes. Hope you’ve already eaten before reading further.

The NYC Health Department has just launched its new restaurant inspection website. Grades range from A (0-13 points), to B (14-27 points), to C (28+ points). A quick review of the East Village 10009 zip code found both reassuring and upsetting results of many longtime favorites. Below is just a sampling. A full report can be found at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/rii/index.shtml

The teacher’s pet list includes many of my regular go-to spots (phew): Luke’s Lobster, Caracas Arepa Bar, Café Cortadito, La Lucha, Butter Lane, Rue B and Giano. But guess which establishments were among the list of perfect scorers…McDonald's and Dunkin’ Donuts. Hmmm. Fortunately, Cafetasia and the adorable little Vietnamese shop Bahn Mi Zon also scored a perfect A with zero violations.

On the solid B list we find Il Bagatto, Mogador, Humus Place, Two Boots, Westville, Terroir, V Bar, Back Forty, Pylos, Minca, Northern Spy Food Co., Flea Market Café, Mama’s Food Shop, Sigmund Pretzel Shop, Black Iron Burger, Hearth, Porchetta, Buenos Aires, Lavagna, and Esperantos.

And waaaayyyyy down in third place with 30+ violation points are Desnuda, Bourgeois Pig (sob), In Vino, Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches and Cien Fuegos.

I can’t help thinking if McDonald's and Dunkin’ Donuts can get it right, surely it’s possible.

My (Current) Fave Cheap Eat in the EV

After having just inhaled my first bowl of savory cumin lamb hand-pulled noodles ($6) at the newly opened East Village branch of Xi’an (pron “she-an”) Famous Foods, I am now dreaming about how long it will take to eat my way through the heavenly menu. Come to me Liang Pi "cold skin" noodles ($6), savory cumin lamb burger ($2.50), and tiger vegetable salad ($4.50). And with prices so good, there’s nothing getting in the way.

The savory cumin lamb noodle dish is such a winner – spicy lamb in a rich cumin chili sauce. The dish is big enough for two meals, but I polished it off in one sitting. The noodles are incredibly delicious – chewy, homey comfort. Service is clean, friendly and speedy. And two monitors cleverly play a looped video of Anthony Bourdain raving about the noodles in a "No Reservations" episode. So your mouth is watering before you even order.

This week's New York Mag named the lamb noodle dish a top cheap eat, so go now. Right now. I'm not kidding.

Happy Birthday, S'MAC

There is nothing cheesy about this offer. S’MAC, the EV’s beloved mac-n-cheese joint, is celebrating its 4th anniversary with an amazing deal. On Tuesday, July 27th, 2010, the All-American nosh (gooey classic American + Cheddar blend) will cost $1.00. That’s one of the best foodie deals I’ve seen in a long time. And I will be more than happy to help super friendly owners Sarita + Caesar Ekya celebrate.

Meatopia 2010- My Kind of Nirvana

When I was about 7, I asked my mother if I gave her my allowance back, would she buy me more meat. So yesterday’s glorious, first-ever Meatopia: BBQ NYC on Governor’s Island was my idea of carnivore heaven. And not just because there was smoking grill after grill of amazing sights, tastes and smells, but because each of the 26 chefs and BBQ teams used sustainable meats. Many of the chefs paired up with local farms to showcase small-scale agriculture using animals that have been raised humanely and responsibly.

And oh what a feast it was. My friends and I deliberately arrived early to survey the selections. We carefully studied the menu online the night before. So day of, we were ready to compare the written descriptions with the actual dishes - analyzing the plate appeal and portion size. After all we had to narrow down which 6 tastings would make the final cut for our $45 ticket. Because nothing looked unappetizing, portion size almost always won out. These were not stingy portions. Generous hunks of meat, sometimes spilling off the plate.

My personal highlights in descending order were:

1. The grilled perfection of Abe & Arthur’s Country Style Pork Ribs with Tomatillo Salsa (I could have eaten a vat of the salsa alone)

2. The wonderfully messy and juicy Waterfront Ale House/Fuhgeddaboutit BBQ’s House Cured and Smoked Brisket Pastrami, Stout Mustard, Pretzel Roll

3. The Harrison’s Char Grilled English Lamb chop smothered in herbs

For the first few hours, the atmosphere was ideal: manageable, friendly crowds, and live bluegrass music lulling us as we devoured plate after plate. But by mid afternoon, the crowds were so large that the food almost suddenly ran out. I sadly learned that pacing ourselves was a disadvantage. So I had to believe the unanimous rave reviews of The Hurricane Club’s Honey-glazed Baby Back Ribs with Thai Basil & Mint. I didn't queue up in time this time around. Never mind. Next year I'll be a pro at it.